Oikawa's Fate: The Birth and Death of Chaos
by Muchitsujo
Summary: Chapter 6 Uploaded. A strange twist of fate ends 02 differently; resulting in a dark and dangerous future. We have now reached the twist and the real story begins... Please R&R.
1. May 4, 1994

May 4, 1994

A young man was sitting alone at his terminal totally dumbfounded. The room was dark, only the glow from the monitor pierced the darkness. He was 21, a junior in college. It was late in the day, all the classes were over and he was very tired; he had been puzzling over a book for the past four hours. BASIC, and that's all it was, was his strong suit in this brave new world of computer programming, but there was a problem, it just wasn't powerful enough for what he wanted to do, not anywhere near powerful enough. The book he was reading was book on Assembler. This was a good programming language, the first programming language, much better than BASIC; but a very complicated one. It is the essence of all programming languages, no more than one step above binary code. It was the peaces of a puzzle, or rather the big picture of it all, that you can break down and put together in anyway that you want. He wanted something more powerful than BASIC; he had plans...big plans for the future, plans that would fail without a more powerful language. But now it was very late, and he was tired. So he left the lab and walked through the cold rainy night to his dorm room.

Laying in bed he began to think about what his life has become since he moved to New York for college. He missed his friends back home, that was for sure. Americans were very strange, they paid all this money to go to a good college then spent the entire time partying. He could hear a party going strong down the hall, and he imagined that in a couple of hours his roommates would come back drunk on whatever there was to drink and high on whatever there was to smoke. _I want to talk to my friends, _he thought to himself. So while his roommates were gone he decided to write a letter home. The letter began like this:

__

Dear Hiroaki-san

America is great, it was hard becoming a "official American", but I think that it was worth it. How's your father? last I heard he was sick. But anyway, most important is how you are. It's been a long time since we last wrote each other, almost a year it looks like. Our plans are progressing nicely. I got your designs. I also got an beta version of the Counsel programmed, but BASIC is just to primitive of a language to do any real good. I am currently developing my own programming language. It's kind of ironic that you should have to program a programming language...since assembler is only one step above machine code it's the best thing to work with, but it will take a lot of time; learning Assembler is a bitch. 

He paused to think for a moment. And for a moment a dreadful thought has crossed his mind. A thought that he not dare entertain for more than moment. Hiroaki hadn't written in more than a year...that was very unlike him... Hiroaki hadn't written in almost a year so he could be...but no, no... he couldn't be. He mustn't let that thought progress any further, if he did it would drive him totally insane. So he put it out of his mid, or tried to; it was always there. Like an animal waiting to attack...just lingering in the dark. 

__

Anyway, the language should be finished by the end of this year. And production will begin. But enough of that. How's the family? Your little boy must be almost two or three by now. I have heard, (from my parents) that they grow up so fast. Someday maybe I'll find someone and we'll settle down, raise a family. Someday. Anything can happen. Well I can hear my roommates coming back drunk, as usual. I hope to see you soon.

Your friend and partner,

Oikawa 

P.S.

And as always, we'll go together. The first of many. 

Oikawa put the letter in his desk, and got back into bed just as his roommates came in the door. Staggering across the floor, tripping over everything in there path, making more noise then they were making down at the party. They were drunk and you could tell by the smell that followed them into the room. Oikawa laid there and listen to there conversation; it served no purpose what-so-ever, it was simply them trying to out do each other in how many girls they "fucked" at once during the party. After about an hour they quieted down. Only the soft sounds of the TV cut through the pressing darkness and Oikawa drifted into a dreamless sleep. 

He awoke the next morning at 10:30 pm. He had over slept--which was very unusual for him. It wasn't a big deal though, his first class was English, he had been passing and one absence wouldn't hurt him at all. All though, his second class was very important. Computer Science; his project was due today and he was sure his Professor would love it. He reached into his desk and pulled out a 3½ inch floppy that contained the Counsel in all it's primitave glory. It was a very complex—for a BASIC language that is—AI program. He needed to get there in a hurry. He decided to skip the shower, he had next period off so he could shower then. As he got dressed he could hear one of his roommates in the next room breathing softly. All of his roommates had early morning classes so this one would be in trouble. 

As he was walking across the campus he saw a man coming toward him, very tall and inhumanly pale. He looked like he was Chinese...but white...then there were features that could be called distinctively American, and yet other features that were defiantly Japanese. Then there were other features that he noticed, features that could not be called human. The man stopped about ten feet from him and looked him strait in the eye. Raising a white, bony, hand and pointing an impossibly long, bony, finger at him he said _"You shall be my chariot, I will have great use for you in the future..." _Everything went black and Oikawa heard himself scream "You stay away from me!" then he opened his and found that he was kneeling in the middle of the campus lawn, and many people were staring at him. He got up, a little embarrassed but ok, and walked off to his class ignoring the stares that seemed to some-up what everybody thought of him, _'You are one weird sonofabitch,' _He didn't care, he had been getting those looks for so lone that he hardly noticed them anymore. It had been three years, he had seen those looks and heard those comments almost every day. Imagine, a guy in his prime who didn't think of college as a constant party, a place to get drunk and high, watch porn and fuck as many girls as he possibly could in a single week. This guy was here to learn. This guy was here to work. This guy was here to accomplish his goals. Every parents dream. This guy would go far in life. What a fuckin' freak.

He walked into class and it turned out he was late for this one as well.

"Ah, welcome to class, Oikawa. I'm so glad that you could join us."

"I'm sorry, Professor Marcus. Overslept." He replied. Sean Marcus, otherwise known as Prof. Marcus was a big man of a about 30 or so. When it came to computers he was a genius. 

"Are you aware that your project was due before class started today?" He said with an almost evil smile on his face. The type of a smile that a teacher gives who likes to watch his students suffer. 

"Yes sir."

"And are you also aware that this class accepts no late work?"

"Unfortunately, yes sir." The smile widened on Prof. Marcus' face. He knew that Prof. Marcus liked him, but he wasn't sure how to react to this. He had seen the smile many times before, but it was never directed at him. 

"I'm going to cut you a break, Oikawa. But only because I'm not only sure that your project is done," he paused for obviously for a dramatic effect, "but that it is the most amazing thing I have ever seen."

"I think that you'll like this one, sir." Oikawa said as he handed him the disk. 

"So, just what is it?" Prof. Marcus asked as he put the disk into his computer. 

"A very highly advanced Artificial Intelligence program." At this point the smile that was once evil had changed to a very pleasant and friendly smile, but as he said what it was the smile dropped into a frown.

"Oikawa, you disappoint me. Artificial Intelligence programs are a dime a dozen. They don't really work. It's just a program with about a hundred or so phrases on a random list. Every time you say something to it by typing it in, it records that into it's memory and then puts up a somewhat "intelligent" response."

"This is much different; go on, before you execute it check the file size." He said smiling.

Marcus did. The look on his face could not have pleased Oikawa more. 

"Oh, my God," He sat for a few seconds more, just staring at the screen. "This is an AI program, you say?"

"Yes sir," 

"It's more than a megabyte." His eyes were wide, but his expression was now one of excitement.

"Not your everyday AI, is it?" Oikawa said now very proud of himself. His Professor hadn't even looked at the program yet and it looked like he already had an 'A'. 

"Well, let's see," he paused one more time, "you could have just spent 30 hours and put thousands of phrases on it."

"Yes, that is true, but that's not what I did."

Pro. Marcus executed the program. The first words to appear on the screen were:

Welcome to the Counsel. With whom am I speaking.

There was a pause as Pro. Marcus determined what he was going to say.

My name is Sean Marcus, I am Oikawa's Professor. Who are you?

I am Counsel 1, Is Oikawa with you now?

Another pause while he took a minute to think. He gave a quick look at Oikawa who gave him a nod in return. 

Yes, he is here. Another brief pause, What is your purpose?

We are the rulers of this world, first is I, then the others. Last, there is Chaos. 

He gave a look back to Oikawa and said, "How many of these guys are there?" 

"Seven, not counting Chaos. So a total of eight." He wanted to know more about these beings, now he believed that he could not just call these things AI, but he wanted to be sure, they seemed to be having a real conversation with him, but it was still to early to tell. 

What are you the rulers of?

The answer was like how a child may have answered. It was simple. Perhaps too simple. Simple almost to the point that he couldn't handle it.

We are rulers of the Digital-World.

He was shocked. What in hell was the 'Digital-World?' He was confused. But fascinated at the same time. It seemed to him that if there was anybody in there that could answer his questions, Chaos could. He wanted to talk to Chaos.

Let me talk to Chaos.

There was a pause. As if it was trying to think. Coming up with an answer; wanting but almost not wanting to comply.

He will speak with you.

Another short pause.

Greetings Prof. Marcus. I am Chaos, what would you like to know.

What is your purpose?

I help rule this world.

No, I mean specifically. I already got that from Counsel 1. Since there are six others I assume that they are all Counsel's followed by their number as well. I assume you are more of an individual. So I repeat the question. What is your purpose? 

The answer came back, much different then he had expected. It was showing on his face that he was surprised.

I keep a balance in this Digital-World. When the darkness overcomes the light, I introduce more light. When the light overwhelms the darkness, I introduce darkness. That is my purpose. 

Oikawa returned to his dorm that after noon with a smile on his face. He was in high spirits. Nothing could spoil his day. Not only had he gotten an 'A' on his project. But Prof. Marcus had decided to present it to some big programming company on the west coast. It was a good day. 

He got back to his dorm and when he walked in he heard, once again, the breathing of one of his roommates still asleep. There was a letter on his desk. What could it be? He didn't think that it could be a reply to the one that he sent to Hiroaki, he had only sent it out this morning. It wouldn't have even left the campus yet. When he picked it up and read who it was from he felt a violent stab of fear course through his body. It was from Hiroaki's father. Then he shook the thought from his mind. What did he have to fear from Hiroaki's father? He was a nice old man, at least this proved that he was still alive. The sickness had not claimed his life. Now he found that he was excited about the letter. He wanted to read it. The memories came flooding back. Hiroaki and himself, sitting on the floor playing the Atari. Hiroaki's father standing behind them. That was when they were first planning the new world that they would create and then visit together. Yes, he wanted to read the letter from his father. What could he say, he liked the old bastard. So he tore open the letter and read the first line.

_Dear Oikawa,_

Hiroaki is dead. 


	2. Why, Hiroaki? Why?

Why, Hiroaki? Why?

It wasn't true. it couldn't be true. But it was true; he knew it, in his heart of hearts he knew that it was true. What else could it be? Hiroaki had not written for more than a year, it would be easy for his family to forget about a friend in America. He began to cry. It was so fast and so sudden that, at first, he didn't even notice it. Not until he put his hand to his face, trying to cover his eyes, to make it all go away, did he realize that he was crying. Then he tasted the salt as his tears rolled silently down his cheeks into his open mouth. He closed it fast, not wanting that taste. That awful taste. Oikawa fell to his knees in front of his desk, he was sobbing loud and wildly. His roommate, who was just awakened by the noise, yelled his sympathy.

"Shut the fuck up! You fuckin' moron!"

"Why, Hiroaki? Why?" He heard himself saying. Another bellow from his roommates room, but he didn't hear it. He didn't finish reading the letter. He didn't need to, nor did he want to. In fact he wouldn't read the rest of the letter for several years; even though he never went anywhere without it. It was close to his heart always (side-by-side with a picture of Hiroaki), it would be more then ten years before he finished reading the letter. No matter how hard he tried in the mean time, he could never get past that first line:

__

Dear Oikawa,

Hiroaki is Dead. 

It would eat him up inside. He soon found that he was wandering, aimlessly, down the hall. Across the campus grounds. Receiving the same stares all the way. _You don't belong here, Oikawa. _Then another _Your a freak, you never will be normal._ They echoed through his mind over and over and over again until he began to believe them. He was still sobbing wildly, the salt taste growing stronger all the time. But as he went, noticing it less and less. He heard himself again.

"Why, Hiroaki? Why?" He knew it was a question that he would never get an answer to. But he asked it anyway. Over and over. He soon found himself at the counseling office. He would sign himself out. And he would not come back. Even the secretaries in the office were looking at him like he didn't belong. A freak in some circus side show. 

_"Welcome to the Ringling Brothers famous Three Ring Circus!"_ He could hear the Ring Master saying. _"Come one! Come all! See the man who lovers work! He paid his own way through college and doesn't party! He cries over every little thing like the death of a close friend! A friend so close, ladies and gentlemen, that they hadn't written each other in more than a year!" _The crowd began to laugh and point. The children gave there parents looks of fright. _"It's so disgusting, mommy." "Yes dear, that's why they call it a freak!" _The Ring Master was also laughing... _"Remember folks, don't feed it, it may be dangerous!"_

He found himself out in the parking lot, then in his car. Soon he was driving down the highway. Tears still rolling down his cheeks, they had subsided a little, but they were still coming. He knew what he would do. It would mean the end of his career, but he would do it. He would pull into the first Air Port he saw, he would buy a one way ticket back to Japan. He would go home. 

__

Dear Oikawa,

Hiroaki is Dead.

He found himself thinking of the letter, that horrible letter; if only he hadn't opened it. Another fresh steady flow of tears followed that thought. His mind was in such a jumble that he missed the first Air Port. But that didn't matter; he would find another one. The tears were blurring his vision now, and, what part of him could be, he was amazed that it had taken as along as it did to start taking affect on his vision. He got to the Air Port, feeling lucky to be alive. But that made him think of Hiroaki's death once again. Bringing on more tears. He had another bit of luck at the Air Port. The first bit was that he made it there without crashing his car and killing himself. Although he thought that that might not have been such a bad consequence, if he had died he would get to see Hiroaki again. Then second was that there was a plane leaving for Japan in ten minutes and there were still some tickets left. It seemed that some greater power was on his side for once in his life. 

The ticket man asked no questions; he even looked as if he wanted to get this strange sobbing man away from his booth. When the flight was announced and they were being boarded, amazingly he was the only one in the terminal. Tears still pouring from his eyes. He didn't know why Hiroaki's death had hit him so hard. The hadn't written in almost a year. But...maybe, just maybe, that was the reason. They had been best friends as kids and all through their teenage years. Suddenly they both go off to college. He got married and had kids, or rather, a kid; even though he was still in college. Oikawa was always a worker. He had used phrases concerning marriage and girlfriend with the words "when I get time." If he was married to anything it was to whatever he was doing at the time. Of course he had been set up with a few girls on more than one occasion, and he didn't mind; but it wasn't something that he was looking for at that point in his life. But now he was dead. Sitting on the plane he did nothing. Ate nothing, and talked to no one. Even though the plane was virtually full, there were just enough empty seats that there was no one sitting in the same row with him. he had calmed considerably now, but those salty tears still continued to roll. Slower then at first, but still going, silently. 

He didn't know how long the trip was. He may have slept, but he wasn't sure. The stewardesses didn't bother him. Now he was home, walking down the streets of Heighten View Terrace. Somewhere along the way to the Air Port he had stopped at his bank and retrieved his remaining money for college. He didn't remember it, but it was good that he had gotten it. At least now he could pay for a place to stay for the night. A roof over his head would be good, he couldn't go to his house; his parents had kicked him out when he announced that he was leaving for America. It was raining steadily, and that seemed to add to his depression. Once he was in a Hotel, he pulled the letter out of his pocket to finish reading it. 

__

Dear Oikawa,

Hiroaki is Dead.

He couldn't finish. He read just that far again when the tears began again even stronger than the last time; he lay down on the bed and fall into a dark and dreadful, but much needed sleep.

He woke to find himself walking along the shore of an ocean. A Dark Ocean. Everything was dark. He could see a light house in the distance, or was it just his imagination...? no, it couldn't be. Or could it. the light...it was...was it? It was shinning dark light! How was this possible? He started running towards it. Crying out for help, but no sound could escape his lips. When it seemed he had been running for ever but not making any progress at all he stopped and collapsed to the ground in a dreadful sobbing mass. What had happened? Why was he here? Where was here? Where just a few of the many questions running through his mind.

"Why, Hiroaki? Why?

Something was watching him, he could feel it's eyes on him. He spun around. Nothing. Just an empty expanse of darkness. Then he heard it.

"Oikawa," A little girls voice said. He turned once more. One-hundred and eighty degrees. There before him stood a little girl. About the age of ten. She looked like she was Chinese...but white...then there were features that could be called distinctively American, and yet other features that were defiantly Japanese. And then he saw more, something about her could not be described as human. She looked deathly pale. The voice came again.

"Oikawa. Oikawa. Do you remember me?" She questioned. Her eyes seemed to see right through him. He did not; and he tried to say so, but he still could not talk. 

"Oikawa, Oikawa. It does not matter. I will use you. He will try, and he will fail. But I, I, I, will succeed where he fails."

He wanted desperately to reply, to ask a question. But he couldn't.

"Oikawa, Oikawa. Do not fear. I will help you." The girl took a few steps toward him. He started to step back, but couldn't. No, he didn't want to. He took a few steps toward her. Then a bright light. A pain in his face as if someone was shoving a spike through his skull. Then, in an instant. The pain was gone. He opened his eyes; the girl was gone. He was now awake in his own hotel bed in his own hotel room. No where near any ocean. The rain had stopped and the sun was coming out. The letter was on the night stand along with the picture of Hiroaki. The edges of the picture, and the letter, were beginning to blacken. Like someone had taken a match to it but only the edges had caught on fire.

It was a month before he left the hotel that he was staying at. He would only leave during that time to go down the front desk and pay for another couple of nights. He was thinking. His mind was spinning rapidly. He wanted some time alone. One day he decided that he wanted to see Hiroaki's grave. Why? he didn't know. He knew that when he saw it he would have another break down; this one could be worse. It was a very sunny day. It should have been a good day. But to Oikawa, certain circumstances wouldn't let the day be a good one. The day was June seventh, the sun was shinning, the birds were singing, the grass was green and well manicured. The world was bright and worm. It made him uncomfortable, so terribly uncomfortable; he wanted to be back in his dark hotel room but something made him continue forward. He walked slowly through the cemetery. He knew where Hiroaki's family plot was, but he didn't want to rush there. He could already feel the pain as the tears pushed their way out. He could see the grave now. It was still new. The big head stone declaring to everyone that Hiroaki was dead. Hiroaki _is_ dead. Those words echoed through his mind. He knew that they would always trouble him. He heard himself asking that question again. _Why?_ The unanswerable question. _Why?_

He was concentrating so hard on the grave only a few feet in front of him that he didn't even see Hiroaki's father standing just off to the right. The old man stood and watched. Not saying anything, but wanting to. Something inside of him kept him from talking. The tears were now running down Oikawa's face. maybe that was it. He didn't want to talk to him because he couldn't stand to see a grown man cry. It was eating away at him. but he didn't say anything. He just left. As he was walking away he heard Oikawa's words.

"Why, Hiroaki? Why?" A pause and some very painful sounding sobs. Then, almost yelling, he continued. "We were going to go together! You and I! The first of many! Why did you have to do this?" More sobbing; and now much calmer, but still almost hostile. "I'll finish it. It will be just as planned. I will miss you, my friend."

Sean Marcus was sitting at his desk late one night in mid August. School was going to be starting again soon. He had said every year that he would get an early start in preparing for it. It looked like it might actually happen this year. But then again...maybe not. He had been on the campus since ten o'clock that morning; it was now nine-thirty that night. He had done no work that entire day. He had just been sitting there, staring at the wall. A wall that would soon be holding comical poster about computers. A wall that would also hold the informative posters about a new programming language that had just recently been released. C. It was a very complex language, and very powerful. Maybe he would find a good "Far Side" joke to tape to his desk. 

His desk, he looked down at his desk. A small disk sat undisturbed. He was lucky, or rather, it was lucky that he had made a copy of Oikawa's AI project before sending it to that company out west. He never got it back. He did, however, receive a letter saying that the US government had came and taken it, it was considered classified material. He supposed it would be used to control missiles, or perhaps unmanned fighter planes. Those bastards. Shortly after he had gotten the letter three men showed up on his doorstep and went through every single file he owned. Lucky for him he had just left the disk with a friend for safe keeping. He never had liked the US government. They took, no, they stole anything that the public wasn't ready to see. But there was no problem with that; the problem was the fact that the public wasn't ready to see it until the government said it was ready. A free country. Bullshit. It was a goddamn dictatorship. The US government was only a front. In reality THEY told you what to do. THEY just disguised it by saying that you could say anything that you wanted and called it freedom of speech. 

He glanced at his watch, then at the clock on the wall, then back to his watch. He could leave at anytime. But he didn't want to. Something simply told that he should stay, and stay he did. The phone rang. It was so surprising and unexpected that he almost fell out of his chair. But he didn't fall out; his muscles all just relaxed at once, like this was the phone call he had been waiting for his whole life (and in a way it was), and slid out. He hit the floor with a hollow _thump, _but he was back on his feet in an instant and to the phone. 

He picked up the receiver and fumbled it, it hit the desk; he thought that whoever was on the other end would probably have hung up after that. He finally got the phone to his ear and said, "Hello?"

"Professor Marcus?" A almost emotionless voice said on the other end.

"Yes, yes. Who is calling?" He talked fast. Like he had had and entire pot of coffee and a box of caffeine pills on the side.. But he had had no caffeine that whole day. He didn't even like coffee. 

"Professor Marcus," The voice said again, "This is Oikawa." 

Pro. Marcus was both shocked and relieved at the same time. He was still to excited to talk straight. 

"Oikawa? Is...is that really you? You left so suddenly. I wanted to talk but...that's not the point...the government has your project...where are you...what's happened...come on come on, don't leave me hanging damnit. Oikawa they're--" All this came out in one fast, steady, all-pushed-together, stream of non-understandable words. Oikawa interrupted quietly by saying,

"Calm down Professor. I'm ok; I'm home."

"Home?" It was as if he didn't understand it, "Back in Japan?"

"Yes"

"Is that where you've been for the past three months?"

"Yes,"

"Are you coming back this year?"

"No,"

"But Oikawa you-" Oikawa interrupted once again.

"I'm finishing something. Something very important." A pause "Don't worry about the disk. Let the government keep it. I have something much more powerful now." There was a short gasp from Pro. Marcus.

"Will you send it to me?"

"No, not this time. But soon all will see it." 'Soon all will see it'? What the fuck was that supposed to mean? This wasn't the same Oikawa that Sean Marcus had once known, this felt more like a machine. 

"Oikawa..." He started, but bit it off. He didn't want to mention the change. That might only make things worse. 

"What is it?"

"Nothing. I've taken enough of your time. You called me for some reason. I'll let you get to the point."

"It's just a couple of questions."

"Ok, shoot."

"3D gaming is becoming more and more popular is that right."

"Yes, I don't know that much about it yet. But it is becoming the gaming rage. I doubt if it's holds up for long though. They just don't run as smooth as the 2D. But anyway."

"How would you do that? Do you use a 3D modeler, or just code it."

"Well currently you would just code it all. I've seen some 3D model editors, but they all suck. Low form polygons and stuff like that. Very low edibility. Why? You planning on doing some 3D programming."

"A little,"

"Does this have anything to do with the Counsel?"

"Yes."

"Sounds exciting. Is that all that you wanted to know?" 

"Yes. Thank you very much, Professor Marcus."

With that the conversation was over. Oikawa hung up. Pro. Marcus could not help but fell a little bit scared how that last sentence had come out. 'Thank you very much, Professor Marcus.' But Sean couldn't help feeling a little excited. He had envisioned a supper smart 3D Counsel. With the release of the C programming language he could make his AI program a hundred times better. Maybe it would be used to replace government leaders. It was a good thought considering his recent entanglement with the US. But what Sean didn't know was that The Counsel was only a small, very small, part in the grand plan that Oikawa and Hiroaki had made years ago.

Oikawa had spent the last three months in front of a small computer screen in his house that he was renting. Coming out only every once in a while to eat. His land lords were worried, but he didn't bother them so they wouldn't bother him. In the first month he had slept less than 24 hours total. He had completely mastered Assembler. Then for nearly 24 hours a day in the second month (in which he got even less sleep than the first) making a new, and extremely powerful programming language. It was obvious that he was a genius, at current only in his own eyes, but if anyone had seen his work they would agree without a second thought. He had made the worlds first programming language that was more powerful than what was used to program it. It was a painstaking task. It was only accomplished in the end by a language that the most common alphabet used in it contained more than 300 symbols. Then on top of that it contained three sub languages that held more then 150 symbols each. To program with it he had to spend the last of his college money and have three keyboards custom made, all of them rapped around a sphere. He had also spent more then fifty-thousand dollars to buy a server to store all the data on. 

Now at the end of the fourth month he was done with the landscaping of this Digital-World. He wanted to think of a different name, but couldn't think of one that would do it more justice then 'The Digital-World' so he left it a that. For in fact, that is exactly what it was. He would now program the two main energy sources for this world. One more look a Hiroaki's diagrams and notes. What were the two energy sources to be called? Scanning through the notes he found the names. 

"The Crests of Hope and Light," He read out loud. With that he threw his head back and laughed. Not a joyous laugh, but an almost evil laugh. It echoed through the dark room and out into the night. 

"Hope and Light. That's a joke." He stopped to think. "Very well, Hiroaki. Hope and Light it is." He went back to typing steadily. Hope and Light. the words echoed in his mind. There was no hope or light anymore. That is why he worked in a dark, windowless room. No hope, No Light.

"Why, Hiroaki? Why?" 


	3. Strangers in a Strange Land, Part 1

Strangers in a Strange Land, Pt. 1

Who were they? He did not know; nor at this time did he care. They were kids, seven of them. They had come a few weeks ago and they had been fighting their way through the Digital-World. It had been six years since the completion of the Digital-World, and no one, not even Oikawa himself, had entered. These were strangers, and they were in a strange land. A strange and very dangerous land. A land that he had created. 

They all were doing very well. They had defeated a great evil, Devimon. The balance of the Digital-World was extremely out of control. There had been no sign of Chaos for years, but he knew that he was there, and he had a feeling that he had something to do with these strangers. They had been told by Leomon, a great leader set up and put into power by Chaos (that was actually the last Oikawa had seen of his creation), that they were something called "The Digidestined" and that they would save this world from evil. But why, it was Chaos's job, not some group of kids called the Digidestined. Chaos and the Counsel Druids. 

But it didn't matter. A lot had gone wrong in the past six years. One Counsel Druid, by the name of Gennai, had broken free of his duties some how, some how his programming had become corrupt. He was a guardian, there were ten total and they were the first to be programmed. Soon they would follow...he knew that. That was just after the completion of the Digital-World. 

Oikawa stopped watching the strangers for a few moments. As he walked away from the computer screen he remembered something. A year ago there had been another group of kids battling an evil of some kind, he had almost forgotten it. He knew that Chaos had had something to do with that, Oikawa had met with the Counsel over it. They did not know what was going on and Chaos would only say the he had brought them here. He returned to the computer with a fresh pot of coffee. Gennai had contacted these new ones as well as the old. He was very smart, that much was clear...but Oikawa did not like his defiance of the Counsel. Gennai had not mentioned the Counsel to either groups of kids. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the picture of Hiroaki, the sides now black and wrinkled.

"There are kids in there now. They are coming, more of them. I can feel it." One brief pause, and then "We were supposed to be the first. Not them. It's ours, not theirs!" Another problem that had occurred shortly after the completion of the Digital-World was a being known as The Great Informant. He had appeared less then six months before the fist kids. He was very powerful. So powerful that the head of the Counsel had offered to step down and give total control of the Digital-World to him. But he had refused; he made himself a place just below Chaos but above the Counsel Druids. There he stayed and watched, overseeing all that happened in the Digital-World. Chaos was, at any given time, the most powerful known being in the Digital-World. Oikawa knew for sure that this was true. But The Great Informant possessed great power. He could defeat Chaos, and the Counsel, if he wanted to. But the thing with Gennai was what puzzled him the most. How could the programming for one Druid be wrong to the point that he had broken free; not even the Counsel, or Chaos, could free the Druids if they wanted to. Gennai was freed shortly before The Great Informant showed up, maybe...just maybe he set Gennai free. Also around that time he had seen changes in his programming. Tracking it back to the source he discovered that a group of college kids somewhere in Japan had hacked his system. They had made many changes, many additions, most good...some bad; Oikawa, however, was far beyond the point where he cared. The Digital-World had been out of his control for years. Now he was no more than an observer, on the outside looking in. Constantly probing for holes. The kids were now nearing a battle with Myotismon at this point, it did not look good. Myotismon was planning something big, maybe he could open a porthole to Earth...

The weeks passed in the Digital-World and now Oikawa was sure. Myotismon was coming to Earth. He would go out and find the porthole, go threw it, and reach his goal; his creation. It would be very, very soon. Probably within the next five minutes, Earth time. 

He was driving at a steady speed towards Heighten View Terrace, the radio was going. The clock read 3:30 pm. Then a flash, bright but fast, so fast that it was almost unnoticeable. He radio went to static, glancing down at the clock he saw that it was flashing 12:00. Then his car died. At first he was panic-stricken. Trying to start his car, his whole intent was to find that porthole, he didn't know where it would open at, he didn't know when it would open. Then when his car would not start he looked up. What he saw amazed him; every car on the road had gone dead, traffic lights were flashing red, yellow, and green in random orders. There was a three car pileup at the intersection ahead of him, cars going to fast had hit each other. There was a door open on the car in front of him, the driver was laying on the ground blood pouring steadily from his neck. Oikawa decided to check on him. 

He got out of the car and walked over to the body. The first thing he checked was the neck, what he saw did not surprise him. The great vain had been punctured, twice, by long, pointed, teeth. 

"Damnit!" He yelled at the body as if it was the cause for every bad thing that had ever happened to him. It was to late, he had missed the porthole. But that didn't matter anymore. Now he must concentrate on staying alive while these creatures attacked the city. He didn't know what they were looking for, but he was sure that there was a reason for being here, if there wasn't then he felt that he had made a terrible mistake in creating the Digital-World. 

_There must be a purpose, _he thought to himself as he worked his was home. He saw them once on his way. A group of dark shadows lurking in dark corners, moving slowly through the town looking for a place outside the public eye. A place where they could conduct their search, and plan their destruction. He wanted to follow and observe them, but that would undoubtedly be suicide. He had already seen one victim of their kind evil and he knew that he would see many more before his life ended.

Upon arriving back at his house he immediately logged into his server and found the recordings of everything that had happened for the past week. He saw it all, he knew exactly why they were there. Another child had been chosen, someone else would be going to the digital world. More strangers in this strange land. Someone else that going to the Digital-World before him, unless he got to her first... 


	4. Possessions

Possessions

It had been four days since Myotismon invaded the real world and Oikawa had had no more luck finding the eighth child then anyone else. In fact, he couldn't find anyone...none of the so-called Digidestined, none of Myotismon's goons (he knew that some of them, if not all of them, had been destroyed in the many battles he had seen around the city...but that was the only time he had any real idea as to where they might be), and no sign of any portals. It was late and the fog was diminishing for the first time since Myotismon had appeared. He was standing on a dock at the harbor not more than five miles from the TV Studio. He was about to give up hope when the fog completely disappeared and for the first time he saw the Digital-World with his own eyes.

The sky was filled with it...everywhere. No longer distorted by his computer monitor, no longer left to his imagination. It was all there. He starred at it in awe for what seemed like an eternity when a small blinking light at it's edge caught his attention. It was an airplane he realized, and it was headed directly for his creation. "Stay away from it, damn you!" He screamed, "It's mine! I created it!" The plane flew on as if to spite him. Then, with great pleasure he noted, he saw it reach the edge and begin to plummet down toward the earth. A small smile spread across his face. Then he saw the great fiery bird fly up from the ground just east of the TV Studio and save the plane, bringing it safely back down to earth. Then he remembered Hiroaki.

Quickly pulling the picture from his pocket he pointed it toward the sky, not even noticing that in the past five years holding the picture close to his heart had turned the edges black.

"Look, Hiroaki." He said to the picture, "That's it, it's ours." Then he began to cry. He had not cried since Hiroaki's death, it felt strange...very foreign. "Why did you have to die?" He accused, the tears once again running steadily down his face. "Why, Hiroaki? Why?" He fell to his knees. "We were going to go together, the first of many!" As if in spite across the bay he saw a rainbow of light rise from the ground to the Digital-World above. Then he saw...them. The kids that had gone to the Digital-World and come back; they were going again. He got to his feet putting the picture back with the letter; close to his heart. "Wait! Please wait! Take me with you...please...don't leave me..." He fell to the ground once more and, for the last time, overcome by tears.

Hours seemed to have passed. Painful hours with nothing but tears and screams. He was still at the harbor, laying on the dock. The kids had long since disappeared back into the sky. Ascending to heaven like Jesus after his resurrection; he knew that they were there for a reason and could not help but feeling that the heaven they went to would be more like hell. It was with that final thought that Oikawa felt him by his side. Standing over him. Watching him. He had experienced this feeling three times in the past, once just in the past four days...and that's what this was like. Not like the first man, or even the child. This was a demon, and it had come for him. He got up and turned, but saw nothing. He was alone, physically, but he could still feel that demon's presence. Oikawa could no longer breath steadily. The fear was smothering, pushing him down deeper and deeper into the darkness. Then it took him and Oikawa knew nothing more than pain. 


	5. Strangers in a Strange Land, Part 2

Strangers in a Strange Land, Pt. 2

There were more of them now. He seemed to remember some showing up in _his_ world some five years ago. This time however there were only five of what have been called the Digidestined (two of which he thought he recognized), and then there was the boy he had planted there himself. The self-proclaimed Digimon-Kaiser was doing his bidding without him ever even knowing. 

Oikawa looked down at his landlord and his wife laying on the floor. They had been there for six-months¾he had learned a lot since that fateful day five years ago and now knew how to transfer data to the real world, but could not yet turn living tissue to data and send it back¾and little by little he had been putting data into there bodies, turning them from human to monster. Thus was born Arukenimon and Mummymon, created from Oikawa's own DNA and data from the Digital-World. They would terrorize the Digital-World at his command...or they would die.

His attention returned to the new humans in _his _world. They did not belong there, none of them belonged there. The world was his. He came to a decision, the time had come, he would continue to plant the Dark Seeds. He would destroy the Digidestined. 


	6. Now I'm the One Who's Dead

Now I'm the One Who's Dead...

Five years have passed since Oikawa became a demon¾created by his own creation. Time had no bearing on him mentally. He was still no more than Oikawa. His original feelings toward the Digital-World had changed drastically; it had been that he wanted to be the first, and after discovering the kids in his world he was very upset, but willing to let life go on and get there when he could. He even wanted to meet them. If Chaos had failed him and they were now protecting his world he definitely wanted to meet them; even congratulate and reward them. However, he had allowed his emotions to control him, his longing for Hiroaki, and his will to be the first was the key that the demon spirit of Myotismon used to enter his heart and use his body until he had regained all his power lost to the Digidestined. To Oikawa, however, it seemed that things were as they had always been. He did not remember ever having a different will than the will to destroy the children who had invaded _his _world. He had hurt many and he knew that now. Now, it was to late. He had planted Dark Spores in the minds of innocent children; he had ruined families all and killed many because he wanted to be the first; because he wanted someone to pay for Hiroaki's death. Knowledge came far to late. 

Oikawa's body lay beaten and bloody on the ground of that strange world where energy seemed to manifest itself in shapes and colors. The gate had somehow been sealed off and he had missed the Digital-World. He had seen the Digimon evolve and yet their original forms still remained, alive. Then the voice, a voice he had not heard for five years spoke from nowhere and everywhere at once; at first he thought it was just in his head and he was going mad but then he saw the looks of horror on the children's faces and he knew it was real. The demon had returned; but it wasn't until he saw himself manifested before him that he realized how, then he remembered that terrible night five years ago when he had seen the Digital-World, his creation, in the sky above the Earth.

He now knew his mistakes...he was so desperate to get Hiroaki back that he let one of his own creations overtake him. The battle was still raging. His creation so close that he had only to lift his head to see it, but he didn't even have the strength to do that. He could feel the darkness spreading throughout the world, throughout every world. If light was not introduced soon darkness would overtake all. Hours seemed to pass, the darkness was very close, then a new feeling began to overtake him; it felt like a million points of light all piercing through the darkness. It seemed almost to simple, but he knew that the battle was over. The Digidestined had one; and now his dream came back to him....he did not know why it did; but it did. He could hear the children, only a small stones throw away, in the Digital-World talking about their victory, laughing at each others jokes, and planning big celebrations for their success in the future. With every word and every squeal of laughter his dream had come back to him. The little girl standing in front of him, predicting, no, revealing to him this very incident, and everything that would lead up to it. 

The Digidestined were not part of his original plan for the Digital-World. He had planed for Chaos, and the Counsel Druids to do that. The Digidestined had been Chaos' idea. He could hear them clearly, the twelve kids chosen, as far as he could discern, by almost totally random selection. Chaos could almost be renamed Satan, because when he created the Digidestined program, he took on the role of spreading evil, darkness, into this world instead of light.

Now he was sad, very sad for all the trouble that he had caused them. He wanted to see the Digital-World first hand so bad, he wouldn't let anything stand in his way. He wanted to cry out for help, they were still within hearing distance, but something was holding him back. Keeping the necessary air to yell from reaching his lungs. He would just crawl over, but he did not have the strength. Myotismon had stolen it all from him when he tore himself from inside of Oikawa. Now he remembered Hiroaki's old man. He asked him the be his friend...if only he had asked that question a couple of years earlier, he would have said yes, but now it was to late. Much to late. He could hear the old man's words; but even now...

"I was there, Oikawa, the day you visited the cemetery...the day you went to Hiroaki's grave..." _Why didn't you say anything then. Why didn't you stop me from even starting this evil project...this that has shaped my fate. _"...his death hit me hard...it hit us all hard. I just wanted someone to talk to..." _Then why didn't you say anything! _Oikawa had wanted to shout out, but he couldn't, not with the demon inside dictating his thoughts. "...you were my son's friend...I want to be your friend..."

...his strength was leaving him rapidly. It would not be long. Once again he thought of the little girls words, 'Oikawa, Oikawa. It does not matter. I will use you'¾wanted someone to talk to, about his son, _About my friend_, he thought to himself. If he had¾'He will try, and he will fail. But I, I, I, will succeed where he fails.'

_Bull_, he thought to himself. _I am dying, nothing can stop that now..._, with that he slipped out of consciousness and into the dark.

He awoke with the thought that he would be in Hell. Gazing out upon a world of fire and brimstone, Satan¾no...Chaos¾laughing an evil laugh at his arrival. His life had not been good enough for the other place...if either of them really existed, that is. But when he opened his eyes he saw that he was still in the darkness of this other strange world. He tried to stand. He managed to get up on his feet for a few seconds, then he collapsed to the ground with a dull _thud_. He could not walk, not yet anyway, but his arms were strong again and he would be able to crawl to the Digital-World. It would be long and hard work, but to see his creation - even once - he would take the endless hours and the pain. With every motion of his arms, with every twitch of his body, even the blink of an eye caused pain to shoot threw his body in waves. He could not hold it back, the tears came freely. He could taste blood in his mouth. A couple of times he would reach for a distant rock to grab a hold of and pull himself forward, but sometimes he would misjudge the distance and slam his hand into the rock with more force then he thought he was capable of at this time. But after some three hours of pain he made it to his creation. 

From the second that he entered the Digital-World he felt reenergized. The strength poured into him, the pain that was now constantly coursing threw his body began to instantly subside. Before he knew it he was on his feet walking around. Judging by the sun, or rather the fact that there was none, he had been asleep for several hours. The kids were gone, and the day was over. He began to walk. Why? He did not know. Something was compelling him to the nearby forest. He walked for a while, until soon he came to a clearing in the forest, a few bushes hear and there, but no grass, an almost perfect circle of trees surrounded it. He had had a feeling of being watched the whole time he had been trying to get to the Digital-World, the whole time he was crawling in pain and several times he stopped and looked about him only to see that he was being paranoid. No one was following him and no one was watching him. Still, he could not shake the feeling. He turned around. Nothing, Then a soft voice called from behind him.

"Oikawa," He turned again. Nothing. Once again the voice came from behind him. "Oikawa," This time when he turned around he saw her. There before him stood a little girl. About the age of ten or so. She looked Chinese, but not totally. She had other features that could be described as American features. And then he saw more, something about her could not be described as human. She looked deathly pale. The voice came again, "Oikawa, do you remember me?"

He looked at her for a long time, but there was no recognition in his eyes. "I'm sorry little girl, I don't know who you are," A moments paused as he gathered his wits, she had given him quite a scare. "Shouldn't you have gone back with the others, I don't know if the gate is still open you may not be able to get back."

"I am not with the others, Oikawa, I am with you. Yes, the gate is closed; but it wont be for long."

"What are you talking¾," She cut him off.

"Do not fear, Oikawa. I am here to help you." A smile that was not human spread across her face.

"Wha¾," With that last second he recognized her. It was the girl from his dream, but he recognized her past that, past this shell that it was in. But then it was to late to stop. He had been tricked again, by his own creation. Then a bright light. A pain in his face as if someone was shoving a knife through his skull. Then, in an instant. The pain was gone. He opened his eyes; the girl was gone. And in many ways, so was he. He had been overtaken by this demon that he created. His mind was not his own, and he doubted that it would ever be his again. He was now a host for Chaos. Using all his remaining strength he summoned his mind back to the surface and cried aloud,

"I'm sorry, Hiroaki. Now I'm the one who's dead..." 


End file.
